Autism: Human and Veterinary Medicine Intertwined

It’s not every day that I find an article that truly moves me. Maybe this article struck a heartstring because it deals with two passions that I hold – horses and understanding autism.

Before I had children, I worked on a horse farm. We had a small breeding program and some of the best days on the farm were the foaling days. The anticipation of their birth, the processes that go along with welcoming the new baby into the world, and seeing them playing in the field so soon after their birth was amazing.

That world is now in my past, and I have moved on to the new life which consists of caring for my family to include my autistic son, Cody.

Why on earth am I telling you all of this background? Because an article has brought all of this full circle. You see, every now and again, you get a foal that does not connect with the mother. Just like Cody and myself; Cody and I did not connect for a very long time. Unlike the distance that Cody and I have mustered through to navigate on our own, there is a theory on how to deal with foals that have the same exact problem.

The method, known as “the Madigan Foal Squeeze Procedure” is a quick, simple, yet seemingly effective way to “wake up” the foal to recognize and acknowledge its mother. That to me is a breath of fresh air. Just think – there is a procedure, which is not painful or harmful in any way, that can turn the foals life around in minutes and help the foal to connect with the mother.

Can you imagine if this could have happened for Cody and me? Would his brain be acting differently now and would our entire life be different?

There are many links here that are worthy of researching “and so the research moves forward in both human and veterinary medicine — a strong reminder that although the two-legged and four-legged patients are quite different, their health is delicately intertwined by myriad biological processes that continue to amaze the researchers who go searching for them.”